Yesterday, the ol’ dad unit took me to the Harley shop. I pulled my leg over an 883 sportster, felt real nice. Dad asked Mike the Harley Guy if they had used sportsters in. “Well, we have a couple of 1200’s.” “No, I was looking for something more in his” (pointing at me) “size.” Really! I had been wanting, vocally, a bike for a while, and he had seemed against the idea.
Since this incident, though, he’s talking like I’m going to get one. This is good news. It’ll still be a while till I’m legal to ride a bike, but I’d like some advice from my Dopers. What should my first bike be? A Harley would be nice, and I’m pretty much confined to a Sportster 883 if so. The Hugger was more than low enough for me. The 883R looks really sexy, a bit higher, I didn’t try sitting on that. Maybe a Buell Blast? Cheaper, about 500cc. I’ve got a Yamaha dual purpose dealy sitting here. XT225, TW200. Well?
The Hond Nighthawk 750c has been pointed out to me as a good bike for a first-timer, with enough power that it will last you for years. Good reliable Honda bike, and looks damn sexy, too!
Yes. Don’t believe everyone who says bigger is better. You’ll feel real macho till the first time you drop the bike in the middle of an intersection. You’ll be humiliated at best and dead at worst. It takes awhile to get the experience and the confidence to safely handle a bigger bike.
The Harley sportster 883 (if you like a cruiser-style) is an okay beginner bike I think, and if you like a more upright, standard sport bike style, check out the Buell Blast, which is also usually sold in Harley shops. It’s a single cylinder 492cc bike. I like the Yamaha Virago 250, a small but peppy bike with a VTwin, but it’s a little chopperish for me.
I’m in the same boat right now. I’m also considering the Suzuki GS500. - Jill
How tall are you? I’d stay away from a dual-sport too, as a first bike, as they usually sit you up high and have a high center of gravity that can problems with balance.
Damn! I’m I the only one that noticed this? Your dads going to get you a Harley for your fist bike? Jeesh! I wish I had a dad like yours.
But seriously, I would go for a cheap bike at first like a honda rebel or an old Honda Shadow because one thing you have to accept now is; YOU WILL LAY THAT PUPPY DOWN! I might even be inclined to get a dirt bike at first just so you can learn the basics out on a field somewhere that way your less likely to get hurt. In any case welcome to the addictive world of motorcyle riding.
I’d really advice against the Sportster as a first bike.
I’m not saying it can’t work, but I just recently had opportunity to ride one for a few days and I felt it was heavy, sluggish and unresponsive - though, admittedly, not without a robust charm of its own. Still, it didn’t feel at all confidence-inspiring to me.
I believe it’s smarter to learn the ropes on something a little more forgiving, so I’ll say as I’ve done before: Buy a 2nd-hand Japanese around 600 cc - Seca II, Bandit (not the 1200), GS500, SV650, Hornet, etc. They handle well and it won’t break your bank account to fix them when dropped. Then “branch out” into touring, sport, cruising or whatever.
Stay away from the supersport 600s (YZF-R6, GSX-R 600, 600 Ninja etc.) as a first bike - they handle very well, but they have insane amounts of power and are uncomfortable to boot.
And welcome among the riders - keep the shiny side up!
There are a lot of “what should be my first motorcycle?” threads, but it’s before coffee so I don’t want to go back and quote myself.
They Yamaha Seca II Spiny Norman mentioned is a great bike. I bought mine new in 1994 and it has almost 70,000 miles on it.
I learned to ride mini-bikes when I was six, rode my first real motorcycle at ten, and got my first bike at 12. JillGat says to stay away from dual-sports, as they sit you up too high. My first and second bikes were Yamaha Enduros. “Enduro” used to be a word they used to describe a street-legal dirt bike. Basically, you had your choice: You could buy an Enduro, or you could by the same bike without the lights. Nowadays, dirt-bikes are rather specialized for off-road riding. I don’t see as many of them on the road as dual-sports. Dirt riding is a great way to develop reflexes, and often to fall without too much injury to you or the bike. (But injuries do happen, some of them fatal.) So without Enduros around anymore, I’d say JillGat’s right.
I think you’ll quickly outgrow a 250cc bike, but they’re inexpensive and good to learn on. I think it’s better to get a larger bike and grow into it like I did with my old Yamaha 100 Enduro (it was too big for me at the time). While a new bike would be a very nice thing, maybe you should consider getting a used 250 and then decide what kind of riding you want to do and get a new bike that you’re less likely to drop after you gain some confidence.
My first bike was a 1981 Honda Twinstar Custom 185cc (bought new in 81) I had no idea how to ride one when I got it. Figured it out on the way home from the dealer. This model was built bigger than the 200cc series, about the same size as a 400cc twin, but was a light bike so easy to handle. Yes I laid her down a couple of times and you will to.
I worked my way up from there but that first bike will always have a place in my heart.
When I tell people how I went from Montreal to Datona with it no one believes me. Hell of a ride for such a little thing. It was fun.
BTW in Quebec there are now laws dictating the size of your first bike. I believe you can’t go over 500cc
If you are a complete novice to two wheels and an engine then it might be a good idea to stay away from traillie bikes.
These are light, tall single cylinder machines that generate a lot of torque, they are very easy to flip over, and the brakes are suited to less grippy surfaces, so they are not very powerful, and since the forks have a lot of suspension travel, powerful brakes would make them dive too much.
The Seca is a good one to try out, the Nighthawk is too. Both are very easy to ride, and forgiving of ham-fistedness.
The Honda CB250 is a reasonable machine if a bit dull and should be cheap to obtain.
Small bikes 250cc and below always sell well, so if you get one you can soon trade it in, just don’t buy one new or you will lose greatly on depreciation.
One really really good tip for you, whatever you choose, make sure you get crash bars fitted, these will repay you when you drop your bike down, and you will, probably just pushing it or doing a U-turn on a hill.
Thanks a lot, everybody. I recognize that a sportster is a bit much for a beginner’s bike–I’ll probably get that for my second, if I can. (SHAKES–Dad was kind of looking at a bunch of options. He has not ruled out other possibilities.) I’m about of average height, and those Yamahas I mentioned were 31’. Or is it 31’’? (which is inches?)
There’s a cool bike that I ride around on on my grandparents’ land and the roads around, so I’m not an absolute novice. Probably about 150cc. It’s a fun little bike.
Probably the most likely (by a small margin) possibility is the Blast. Anybody had bad experiences with them? thanks again.
Here’s a review of the Buell Blast from Motorcycle Online. I test rode one yesterday and it was really fun. It has some vibration, being a single cylinder bike, but I think that would mainly bother you if you intend to do a lot of freeway travel. It’s very nimble and turns easily, which is what I like (compared to the cruisers). It’s loud, and I don’t mean to sound like that’s a bad thing. It’s got some torque, but is easy to manage, I think. I’m trying to get my dad to get me one for Christmas.
Jill
